Akwaba Lodge

Set into jungle hillside on Solarte Island, in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, Akwaba Lodge looks out over calm Caribbean water reached by a ten-minute boat ride from the mainland. The garden runs thick with tropical planting between the main house and a handful of cabins. Four room types make up the lodge: two garden rooms, a jungle cabin with its own kitchen, and an apartment inside the main house with a queen bed. For groups, a sailboat sleeping up to six guests adds three bedrooms, two kitchens, and a dockside barbecue reached by hammock and an open-air dining table. Snorkelling starts right off the property's own deck, where the water stays clear enough to pick out coral and reef fish without a boat. Kayaks and paddleboards sit ready on the same deck for trips into the bay, and guides can arrange snorkelling or scuba trips further out, plus visits to Bastimentos National Park and its Zapatillas beaches. Birds Island, a short trip away, draws hundreds of resident species. Akwaba opened in 2023 and is run as a family operation. It is a small, quiet base for jungle and reef in equal measure.